Been Me
by under.the.blacklights
Summary: In this Twilight, witches aren't something out of fiction. A power game has been played for centuries between the witches and the vampires, and, as always, the Cullens prove to be the exception. Will Bella end up being a casualty in a battle no one wants, or will she tip the scale towards a solution?


**Obviously, I own nothing. I'm just playing with ideas.**

In this Twilight, witches aren't something out of fiction. A power game has been played for centuries between the witches and the vampires, and, as always, the Cullens prove to be the exception. Will Bella end up being a casualty in a battle no one wants, or will she tip the scale towards a solution?

_In Esme's heart she knew that dying to save Aurora was the right decision. There was so much wrapped up in that girl that allowing her death would be criminal. _

* * *

**_The Past_**

"ESME! PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS!" She screamed across the barn, smoke and ash trickling into her lungs. Coughing, she struggled to reach the battling pair, watching the caramel haired woman place a kick square in the chest of the large, disheveled man. The sound of wood crackling terrified her and she just managed to duck as a larger pillar fell down from the ceiling, the fire now engulfing over half the building.

"AURORA, GET OUT OF HERE!" Esme would have done more, would have gone over and taken the girl out of there herself, but her foe was already up again and heading towards her, his passion and rage surging together to create an opponent she'd end up having to die to kill.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE HIM ESME! PLEASE, CARLISLE NEEDS YOU. I CAN'T BE YOU!" She heard Esme start to say something, but then a crash and a curse interrupted her, sending a chill down Aurora's burning back. Was that it? Had Rodger gotten her? Was he ripping her limb-from-limb at that very moment? She felt herself grow weak at the idea and she fell against the banister she was next to, hearing it splinter in protest of her weight. Aurora was struggling to breath and she could feel the smoke in her lungs. The edge of her vision was turning black, unconsciousness creeping in.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around her, startling her. She began to frail around, struggling to get free and at first ignoring the voice speaking next to her ear.

"…me Rory, I got 'ya. Calm down." The fact it was Emmett finally sunk in and with it her body slumped a bit, letting him take control, thinking he would be moving her to some place of safety and then going into the fire to help his elder. Instead, she realized he was heading out of the building, his back on what was going on further inside.

"NO! NO! NO! PUT ME DOWN! GO BACK IN THERE!" Tears started to stream down her face as she struggled once more, wanting to free up Emmett so he could go back. His solid grip tightened around her, immobilizing her and making it even harder for her to breathe. Emotion and injury caused her to start coughing, her eyes closing and watering so much she couldn't make out anything. A putrid smell suddenly filled the air, just enough to completely overwhelm her lungs and send Aurora into a coughing spiral. A rush of voices suddenly filled the air but she was unable to make out who they were or what they were saying.

She was lifted away from Emmett and placed on the wet ground, an arm behind her neck to keep her airway propped open. She felt a mask placed over her face and gasped in the clean oxygen. Breathing in deeply, her eyes fluttered open for a second, allowing her a glimpse of what remained of the burning barn. Over the sound of blood pumping in her ears she could register a bit of what Emmett was saying.

"… too late when I got there… told me to take Rory and run… so sorry."

The fuzzy haze of impending unconsciousness started to color her vision, the adrenaline she'd been running on for what seemed like days finally starting to fade. Struggling to stay awake, she reached out to grab at whoever was holding her up, relieved when the arm on her neck turned into a whole chest for her to lie against. A cool kiss was placed against her temple, causing her heart rate and breathing to pick up, threatening to send her into hysterics again.

"Calm down Aurora. It's ok. You're safe."

_I don't care about me. I care about Esme. I care about you. _She wanted to say all of that to Carlisle, but the words couldn't come out, instead she found herself drifting into oblivion, a single thought on her mind.

_It should have been me._

**_Bella's First Day_**

Setting foot on the campus of Forks High School, Bella found herself immediately stunned by the sight of it. It was a collection of mismatched buildings, the one unifying theme being the fact they were all undergoing some sort of construction. Tugging her bag up, she headed towards the main office, discerning its location by the large sign pointing towards the door and instructing all visitors to check in before setting foot on the property.

Considering the building it was housed in must have been nearing 50 years old, the main office was actually quite pleasant. A line of mailboxes took up one wall, while bulletin boards and decorative pieces accented the others. In the middle of the room was a large desk with an older woman sitting behind it. She was the classic example of what high schools secretaries were supposed to look like, all cardigan and glasses wearing. _Mrs. Shelly Cope_ was written out in white letters on a black plaque sitting on her desk.

"I'll be just a second dear" The woman said in acknowledgement of Bella, slipping the end of the phone she was talking into away from her mouth for a moment. Bella nodded shyly and went to sit down in the small waiting area off to the side, surprised when the seat she sat on was quite comfortable. Continuing to scan the office, she could see a few doors, each labeled to indicate their occupant. She was just getting around to reading the name of the principal when Mrs. Cope ended her conversation.

"Alright dear, I take it you're Chief Swan's daughter?"

"Yes ma'am." She got out nervously, smiling slightly as she came up to the desk.

"Well we're so glad to have you here and joining us. We get so few new students." Her hands moved around her desk as she grabbed a folder, Bella noticing it had her name written on it. "Alright, we have all your stuff here and ready to go… oh, no, actually, it looks like your schedule isn't here. I guess Dr. Cullen took it out to change something and forgot to put it back in." Standing up, Mrs. Cope gestured for Bella to wait a second before she turned and walked over to a slightly opened door, knocking on the edge slightly.

"Bella Swan is here but it doesn't look like she has a schedule." Bella could faintly make out the sound of someone responding, surprised when Mrs. Cope looked back over at her and waved her hand, motioning for her to come over. "Bella, this is Principal Cullen. She just has a couple of questions for you to make sure you're in the right classes."

Everyone will admit to having some sort of vision of what authority figures should look like. Bella was not ashamed to say her image of a high school principal usually involved glasses, a suit, and being somewhere in their 40s. It did not involve a smiling, perfectly made up face with fashion forward blonde hair and designer clothing, and therefore it took her a bit of a second to reconcile the fact that this 30-something woman leaning against a rather beautiful desk was the principal in question.

"Good morning Bella. Welcome to Forks High. Could you sit-down for a second, I just want to go over a few things with you."


End file.
